Republic Day Ritual
Does a nation founded by Gandhi really need to parade its military might?
Everybody loves a good parade, but can the Soviet-style displays of military might be dispensed with on India's annual Republic Day parade? Do we really think we can overawe our enemies with tacky tableaux of missiles and ships, along with some real tanks and aircraft, all conjoined with colourful arrays of horseand camel-mounted troops? Not to mention that the tanks and aircraft on display turn out to be advertisements for the Russian and American military industrial complexes, which may be equally keen to sell the same equipment to India's enemies as well.Some say such displays are not meant for the sophisticated but for the simple-minded, for whom they suffice to keep the testosterone pumping.
India is not Finland or Denmark which can flourish in a friendly neighbourhood so goes the argument instead it is surrounded by inimical powers such as Pakistan and China, both of which are security-heavy praetorian states, and it consequently needs a decent intake of young men (and women) to staff its armed forces. In this scheme of things, having a military component to the annual Republic Day parade is an essential device to keep up its morale.
That argument does have some traction; moreover it may be a good idea to bring in some variation in the annual ritual by doing such things as having a French marching contingent (as was the case in last year's Republic Day parade) or one from the UAE (as is planned this year). These are signs of slow change. But sooner or later we must face up to the fact that military march pasts are approaching their sell-by date. After all many other nations also face credible military threats, yet keep their morale up without resorting to
Source: Times of India, 25-01-2017
archaic military displays.
India is not Finland or Denmark which can flourish in a friendly neighbourhood so goes the argument instead it is surrounded by inimical powers such as Pakistan and China, both of which are security-heavy praetorian states, and it consequently needs a decent intake of young men (and women) to staff its armed forces. In this scheme of things, having a military component to the annual Republic Day parade is an essential device to keep up its morale.
That argument does have some traction; moreover it may be a good idea to bring in some variation in the annual ritual by doing such things as having a French marching contingent (as was the case in last year's Republic Day parade) or one from the UAE (as is planned this year). These are signs of slow change. But sooner or later we must face up to the fact that military march pasts are approaching their sell-by date. After all many other nations also face credible military threats, yet keep their morale up without resorting to
Source: Times of India, 25-01-2017
archaic military displays.
